WR Brandon Aiyuk, SF (2 Viewers)

[Buckna]

Details emerge: Brandon Aiyuks New deal creates 2024 cap space for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have officially signed Brandon Aiyuk to a contract extension, not only making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL but also creating nearly $8.4 million in salary cap space for 2024.

According to Spotrac.com's detailed breakdown, Aiyuk's cap hit for the upcoming season has been reduced from $14.124 million to $5.725 million. The new four-year, $120 million deal includes a $23 million signing bonus, paid out immediately but prorated over the length of the contract. Of the total, $76 million is guaranteed, with $45 million fully guaranteed at signing. The remaining $31 million will become fully guaranteed in April 2025, per the salary cap tracking site.

The contract also includes two void years—2029 and 2030—and provides the 49ers with a potential out in 2027, when Aiyuk's salary cap hit jumps by over $26 million compared to the previous year.

Below is a year-by-year breakdown of the contract, according to Spotrac.com:

2024
Base salary: $1,125,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $0
Option proration: $0
Workout bonus: $0
Cap hit: $5,725,000

2025
Base salary: $1,170,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $4,571,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $11,191,000

2026
Base salary: $1,215,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $9,558,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $16,223,000

2027
Base salary: $27,274,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $9,558,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $42,282,000

2028
Base salary: $29,150,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $9,558,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $44,158,000

2029 (Void)
Option proration: $9,558,000
Cap hit: $9,558,000

2030 (Void)
Option proration: $4,987,000
Cap hit: $4,987,000

Details emerge: Brandon Aiyuk's new deal creates 2024 cap space for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have officially signed Brandon Aiyuk to a contract extension, not only making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL...

www.49erswebzone.com

So he will be a 49er through 2026.

What is an option proration?

Is roster/game bonus multiple by number of games he plays in or on the 53 man roster OR is it the total available and would be divided by the number of game

Inside the Brandon Aiyuk deal

Here are the full details of Aiyuk's five-year contract.

www.nbcsports.com

Better breakdown

Unless I am missing something, Sporttrac’s Dead Money hits have to be wrong. If they are prorating the option bonus then those prorations for 2027 and onward would accelerate if cut after 2026, making the dead money hit in 2027 closer to $42MM?

 

[Tau837]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

No offense to you, but the 49ers have more than $48M in available 2024 cap space after this Aiyuk extension. Not $40M.

As things stand right now, they have more than $23M in available 2025 cap space. That only accounts for the 41 players they currently have under contract, so does not account for their draft picks, bottom of 53 man roster players, practice squad, or other in-season costs. It also doesn't account for a Purdy extension. His really big cap hits won't kick in for 2025, but his salary is so low based on his draft position, that the signing bonus alone will bring it up by at least $5M.

However, that 2025 data accounts for a $34.1M cap hit for Trent Williams, and I would expect whatever they resolve with him over the next few days to lower that number. That also accounts for a $24.2M cap hit for Deebo and a $28.1M cap hit for Hargrave. I would expect both of those to be addressed, whether via trade, extension, restructure, or even release. Whatever they do with those three (and probably others) will clear more 2025 cap space.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

 

[massraider]

Unless I am missing something, Sporttrac’s Dead Money hits have to be wrong. If they are prorating the option bonus then those prorations for 2027 and onward would accelerate if cut after 2026, making the dead money hit in 2027 closer to $42MM?

Basically a signing bonus, after year 1.

Over the Cap

look at those cap numbers. 5.7 mill, 12 mill, 16 mill, then they wave bye bye. Aiyuk will be 28, and get another big deal. 49ers get a stud WR for cheap cap numbers for three years, and then....whatever. Good for Aiyuk to get money now, and good for SF to get cap clarity.

It's a good example of compromise. SF gives him money now, but gets cheap cap numbers for three years (HUGE for SF). Aiyuk gets money now, but less than he wanted. SF gets him for 3 years $76 mill, which is a good deal, but they will most likely not get compensation for him in 2027, when his cap number jumps to 46 mill.

Pretty great deal for SF, I think.

 

[Tau837]

What is an option proration?

Is roster/game bonus multiple by number of games he plays in or on the 53 man roster OR is it the total available and would be divided by the number of game to get a per game amount?

An option bonus is a bonus fully guaranteed on a certain date and prorated for cap purposes over the remaining years in the contract, up to 5 years. Aiyuk gets a 2025 option bonus of $22.855M that guarantees on 4/1/2025. The 49ers added 2 void years onto his contract, so technically his contract runs through 2030. So that option bonus is pro-rated over the 5 contract years 2025-2029 at $4.571M per year. He also gets a 2026 option bonus of $24.935M that guarantees on 4/1/2025, and gets prorated over the 2026-2030 contract years at $4.987M per year.

Aiyuk gets a $44,117 per game active bonus for the 2025-2028 seasons. Without seeing the terms of the contract, I am speculating, but it is characterized as an active bonus, so I assume he would have to be on the active gameday roster but would not technically have to play to collect for a given game. That distinction should be very rare, usually active means playing. That means he can earn up to $750K per season if he plays all 17 games each season.

 

[Tau837]

Details emerge: Brandon Aiyuks New deal creates 2024 cap space for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have officially signed Brandon Aiyuk to a contract extension, not only making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL but also creating nearly $8.4 million in salary cap space for 2024.

According to Spotrac.com's detailed breakdown, Aiyuk's cap hit for the upcoming season has been reduced from $14.124 million to $5.725 million. The new four-year, $120 million deal includes a $23 million signing bonus, paid out immediately but prorated over the length of the contract. Of the total, $76 million is guaranteed, with $45 million fully guaranteed at signing. The remaining $31 million will become fully guaranteed in April 2025, per the salary cap tracking site.

The contract also includes two void years—2029 and 2030—and provides the 49ers with a potential out in 2027, when Aiyuk's salary cap hit jumps by over $26 million compared to the previous year.

Below is a year-by-year breakdown of the contract, according to Spotrac.com:

2024
Base salary: $1,125,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $0
Option proration: $0
Workout bonus: $0
Cap hit: $5,725,000

2025
Base salary: $1,170,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $4,571,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $11,191,000

2026
Base salary: $1,215,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $9,558,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $16,223,000

2027
Base salary: $27,274,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $9,558,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $42,282,000

2028
Base salary: $29,150,000
Signing bonus proration: $4,600,000
Roster/game bonus: $750,000
Option proration: $9,558,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Cap hit: $44,158,000

2029 (Void)
Option proration: $9,558,000
Cap hit: $9,558,000

2030 (Void)
Option proration: $4,987,000
Cap hit: $4,987,000

Details emerge: Brandon Aiyuk's new deal creates 2024 cap space for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have officially signed Brandon Aiyuk to a contract extension, not only making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL...

www.49erswebzone.com

So he will be a 49er through 2026.

What is an option proration?

Is roster/game bonus multiple by number of games he plays in or on the 53 man roster OR is it the total available and would be divided by the number of game

Inside the Brandon Aiyuk deal

Here are the full details of Aiyuk's five-year contract.

www.nbcsports.com

Better breakdown

Unless I am missing something, Sporttrac’s Dead Money hits have to be wrong. If they are prorating the option bonus then those prorations for 2027 and onward would accelerate if cut after 2026, making the dead money hit in 2027 closer to $42MM?

I agree with you. If he is released or traded after 2026, it appears to me that the dead cap hit would be $42.861M:

• Final 2 years of signing bonus: $4.6M x 2
• Final 3 years of 2025 option bonus: $4.571M x 3
• Final 4 years of 2026 option bonus: $4.987M x 4

His cap hit jumps to $42.282M in 2027, so it seems most likely he will play for the 49ers in 2027, since they virtually break even by releasing/trading him... so if the cap situation is virtually the same, better to have him playing. Unless some team wants to offer an unexpectedly compelling package for him in a trade.

Looks to me like the more interesting out year for SF is after 2027. The dead money would be ~$28.7M, compared to his cap hit of ~$44.2M. Of course, they could choose to negotiate another extension at that point.

 

[Tau837]

Unless I am missing something, Sporttrac’s Dead Money hits have to be wrong. If they are prorating the option bonus then those prorations for 2027 and onward would accelerate if cut after 2026, making the dead money hit in 2027 closer to $42MM?

Basically a signing bonus, after year 1.

Over the Cap

look at those cap numbers. 5.7 mill, 12 mill, 16 mill, then they wave bye bye. Aiyuk will be 28, and get another big deal. 49ers get a stud WR for cheap cap numbers for three years, and then....whatever. Good for Aiyuk to get money now, and good for SF to get cap clarity.

It's a good example of compromise. SF gives him money now, but gets cheap cap numbers for three years (HUGE for SF). Aiyuk gets money now, but less than he wanted. SF gets him for 3 years $76 mill, which is a good deal, but they will most likely not get compensation for him in 2027, when his cap number jumps to 46 mill.

Pretty great deal for SF, I think.

As I just posted, because of how the 49ers structured the cap hits, it appears to me they will save nothing (actually lose ~$580K) by trading/releasing him after the 2026 season. I think the more reasonable way to interpret this is that they are getting him for 4 years, $104M, through his age 29 season. Still a very good deal for SF. At that point, they can work a new extension or trade/release him to save ~$15.5M against the 2028 cap.

 

[BassNBrew]

What is an option proration?

Is roster/game bonus multiple by number of games he plays in or on the 53 man roster OR is it the total available and would be divided by the number of game to get a per game amount?

An option bonus is a bonus fully guaranteed on a certain date and prorated for cap purposes over the remaining years in the contract, up to 5 years. Aiyuk gets a $22.855M option bonus that guarantees on 4/1/2025. The 49ers added 2 void years onto his contract, so technically his contract runs through 2030. So that option bonus is pro-rated over the 5 contract years 2025-2029 at $4.571M per year. He also gets another $24.935M option bonus that guarantees on 4/1/2026, and gets prorated over the 2026-2030 contract years at $4.987M per year.

Aiyuk gets a $44,117 per game active bonus for the 2025-2028 seasons. Without seeing the terms of the contract, I am speculating, but it is characterized as an active bonus, so I assume he would have to be on the active gameday roster but would not technically have to play to collect for a given game. That distinction should be very rare, usually active means playing. That means he can earn up to $750K per season if he plays all 17 games each season.

Thank you.

 

[thecatch]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Twitter is horrible. 80% junk. Pretty much 100% use this forum for news. If it's happening, there will be a thread here at the top of the page. This forum is awesome because usually people sort through the junk and post the valuable/real stuff.

Sure, you can get it faster on twitter. Give 1 million monkeys 1 million typewriters and they'll eventually type the entire works of William Shakespeare.

I don't see it as horrible at all. Twitter is all about how you filter it. It's invaluable for me in getting high-quality information and content.

I get zero value from it for discussion. That's where forums like this can excel.

But that's me and my opinion. If your opinion is the forums are better for everything, that's great to hear.

 

[Chaka]

If it's happening, there will be a thread here at the top of the page. This forum is awesome because usually people sort through the junk and post the valuable/real stuff.

Except for this thread which has lived at the top of the forum for...decades? and provides virtually zero useful real stuff.

 

[massraider]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

 

[JoeJoe88]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

Two things can be true at once:
1. Aiyuk is a really good player / route runner
2. He’s typically the 3rd or 4th player defenses key on, which gives him higher likelihood of success situations than a prototypical WR1.

 

[massraider]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

Two things can be true at once:
1. Aiyuk is a really good player / route runner
2. He’s typically the 3rd or 4th player defenses key on, which gives him higher likelihood of success situations than a prototypical WR1.

Agreed.
I don't think anyone doubts the first, and I think everyone assumes the second.

It sounds reasonable, but I don't know this to be a fact.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Both Aiyuk and George Kittle saw a rather large leap in yds per catch, Defenses can't cover everyone with their best DBs

 

[Alex P Keaton]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

It doesn’t PROVE it. It supports it. Big difference.

 

[JoeJoe88]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

It doesn’t PROVE it. It supports it. Big difference.

Do you have any proof that from week to week Aiyuk is typically the third or fourth priority for opposing defenses?

 

[massraider]

Do you have any proof that from week to week Aiyuk is typically the third or fourth priority for opposing defenses?

Right.

Anyone seen a stat on how he rarely saw double coverage?

Maybe he was defense's #1 priority, and SF had easier completions elsewhere. Why not?

 

[BassNBrew]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

It doesn’t PROVE it. It supports it. Big difference.

Do you have any proof that from week to week Aiyuk is typically the third or fourth priority for opposing defenses?

Yes. CMac is on the field. He's priority One, Two, and Three. I'll leave you guys to determine 4-6 between Aiyuk, Kittle, and Samual.

 

[JoeJoe88]

Because, if Aiyuk were simply capitalizing on soft coverage from opposing defenses because they can’t “key in” on him, one would imagine if say Deebo were to miss time Aiyuk wouldn’t put up big numbers. But Deebo missed Week 8 last year against the Bengals and Aiyuk went 5/109. He had big games without Deebo in the lineup at the end of 22 as well. So, which is it? We can’t have it both ways.

 

[Judge Smails]

Aiyuk is prototypical alpha. Don’t see what the argument is about

 

[Alex P Keaton]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

It doesn’t PROVE it. It supports it. Big difference.

Do you have any proof that from week to week Aiyuk is typically the third or fourth priority for opposing defenses?

I never claimed to have proven anything. You did. HTH.

 

[JoeJoe88]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

It doesn’t PROVE it. It supports it. Big difference.

Do you have any proof that from week to week Aiyuk is typically the third or fourth priority for opposing defenses?

I never claimed to have proven anything. You did. HTH.

The numbers and analytics are all there. I can’t help if people ignore them.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

For the Let Aiyuk Walk crowd:

NFL Leaders in Catches over 20 Yards:
Tyreek Hill 29 (171 Targets)
CeeDee Lamb 29 (181 Targets)
Brandon Aiyuk 28 (105 Targets)

And I can assure you, he’s not getting open downfield like that because of everyone else on the offense. That’s simply lazy analysis.

He’s doing it because he’s an elite WR. This is just another statistic that proves that.

It doesn’t PROVE it. It supports it. Big difference.

Do you have any proof that from week to week Aiyuk is typically the third or fourth priority for opposing defenses?

I never claimed to have proven anything. You did. HTH.

The numbers and analytics are all there. I can’t help if people ignore them.

I don’t disagree with what they suggest or imply. You and I just have different definitions of “prove.”

 

[Snotbubbles]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

 

[Tau837]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

 

[efactor]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Yeah, Banks has been a big disappointment after a decent start to his career. Definitely regressed last year and playing next to Trent Williams has hidden some of his flaws IMO. Not a big loss if he walks.

Hufanga, while a good player, wouldn't be a huge loss either. Brown has played well and Mustafa looks legit. Ward and Lenoir are the biggies for them to focus on in the secondary.

 

[Snotbubbles]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Did you see the 49ers when Deebo Samuel was out with injury last season? Eliminating his salary could really affect that offense.

 

[thecatch]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Banks was named a pro bowl alternate which is why I thought it was fair to lump him in that group. Like Hufanga, he may be a bit overrated but he’s going to get a big contract next offseason like McGlinchey did. Wouldn’t be the end of the world for SF but they currently have no real young talent to backfill him either.

 

[Tau837]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Did you see the 49ers when Deebo Samuel was out with injury last season? Eliminating his salary could really affect that offense.

I saw it. Trent Williams was also out for the same 2 games Deebo missed. Not sure if there were other injuries also, but, regardless, I would expect Williams had a greater impact than Deebo.

Aside from that, if they move on from Deebo, they will have an entire offseason to prepare for that, and they did not have that last season. He's a great player, but IMO they will be fine without him if they go that route.

 

[Wingnut]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Did you see the 49ers when Deebo Samuel was out with injury last season? Eliminating his salary could really affect that offense.

I saw it. Trent Williams was also out for the same 2 games Deebo missed. Not sure if there were other injuries also, but, regardless, I would expect Williams had a greater impact than Deebo.

Yep. Williams hurt his ankle early in the Cleveland game (he played through it at way less than 100%) which they lost, then lost the next 2 games without him. Even CMCs numbers dipped quite a bit without Trent.

When they're just missing Deebo they've been fine. In 2022, SF won all 4 games Deebo missed. Last season he happened to miss the same 2 games as Trent.

 

[thecatch]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Did you see the 49ers when Deebo Samuel was out with injury last season? Eliminating his salary could really affect that offense.

I saw it. Trent Williams was also out for the same 2 games Deebo missed. Not sure if there were other injuries also, but, regardless, I would expect Williams had a greater impact than Deebo.

Yep. Williams hurt his ankle early in the Cleveland game (he played through it at way less than 100%) which they lost, then lost the next 2 games without him. Even CMCs numbers dipped quite a bit without Trent.

When they're just missing Deebo they've been fine. In 2022, SF won all 4 games Deebo missed. Last season he happened to miss the same 2 games as Trent.

They also almost won the Super Bowl last year while getting nothing from Deebo in the playoffs.

 

[Faust]

Brandon Aiyuk: Paying big money to keep him will be worth it for the 49ers

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Thank God. This has been one of the most painful and infuriating threads I've ever seen on this board in 25 years.

Really? There was tons of speculation as everyone tried to predict what he'd do.

Some people had firm opinions. But I missed anything "painful" and certainly missed anything "infuriating".

We never want threads to be those things.

I do get that the situation dragged out. And there was more speculation just because it went on so long.

But speculating about football is mostly what we do on this forum. I don't think people are going to stop posting their opinions on the topic or sharing opinions / predictions they're hearing.

Or are you saying something different?

For the topic though, yes, I'm glad to have some clarity.

As an owner looking for news, seeing this continually at the top of the thread with no new news was aggravating. I was using hyperbole, I'll try to avoid that in the future.

I think this is a case of the board being on top of a story where the team wasn't really sure what they were going to do. I'm sure "aggravating" would be a word Aiyuk's agent and the 49ers would both use. So the board did a good job. It just reflected an erratic path that neither side preferred: He's definitely staying, he's definitely going, he doesn't want to be there, he does want to be there, they're trading him, they don't want to trade him, they're about to pull the trigger on a trade, they resign him.

I think your frustrations are totally valid, but not really directed at the board as much as the situation as it unfolded.

 

[pinkstapler]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Did you see the 49ers when Deebo Samuel was out with injury last season? Eliminating his salary could really affect that offense.

I saw it. Trent Williams was also out for the same 2 games Deebo missed. Not sure if there were other injuries also, but, regardless, I would expect Williams had a greater impact than Deebo.

Yep. Williams hurt his ankle early in the Cleveland game (he played through it at way less than 100%) which they lost, then lost the next 2 games without him. Even CMCs numbers dipped quite a bit without Trent.

When they're just missing Deebo they've been fine. In 2022, SF won all 4 games Deebo missed. Last season he happened to miss the same 2 games as Trent.

They also almost won the Super Bowl last year while getting nothing from Deebo in the playoffs.

I wouldn't claim they couldn't have done what they did without Deebo, or that they couldn't be successful in the future once he's gone. But I do think there are intangibles certain players bring to the game that don't show up on the stat sheet, and IMO Deebo is one of the best of those players. The 49ers offense might not have needed him to log many catches in that run to the SB, but I can guarantee you the defenses of the teams they played certainly didn't go through a day of practice without bringing up his name/number. SF gets many of the looks they get on defense because Deebo is on the field, whether he's utilized heavily or not.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I think this is a case of the board being on top of a story where the team wasn't really sure what they were going to do. I'm sure "aggravating" would be a word Aiyuk's agent and the 49ers would both use. So the board did a good job. It just reflected an erratic path that neither side preferred: He's definitely staying, he's definitely going, he doesn't want to be there, he does want to be there, they're trading him, they don't want to trade him, they're about to pull the trigger on a trade, they resign him.

I think your frustrations are totally valid, but not really directed at the board as much as the situation as it unfolded.

Thank you, GB.

 

[thecatch]

No offense to you, but most guys that report on the salary cap really don’t have a clue how it works. The Niners have almost $40M in cap space for this year. If they decide not to use it, it will roll over into next year. That would mean they are $10M under the cap next year, not $30M over.

I don't think the 49ers contending window is limited to 2024 by the salary cap. They should still contend in at least 2025, maybe 2026 also, and beyond that, who could reasonably predict anything?

This is getting far afield from the topic, but their contending window is limited because they have 4 or 5 pro bowl caliber free agents Ward, Lenoir, Hufanga, Aaron Banks, and effectively Deebo up for free agency next year and I think they'd probably be lucky to hang onto 1 of those guys. The lack of draft picks over the last few seasons has meant that they probably won't have any studs on rookie deals.

Exactly. Even if the 49ers unused cap transfers to next season, they'll still be at a $20-30M cap space disadvantage with 15 or so teams. That alone makes retaining impending FAs difficult, to impossible. You have to identify the 4 or 5 guys that you give the big money to, (which they already have), and then those guys coming off the rookie deals get swiped by other teams who just have more money to spend.

I'm expect they will lower the 2025 cap number for Williams, Warner, and Hargrave, clearing space. I expect they will lower or eliminate Deebo's. As for the guys named by @thecatch, I agree they will be challenged to keep all of Ward, Lenoir, and Hufanga. Banks played a lot of snaps, but he was not close to Pro Bowl level... out of 26 players who played double figure snaps on offense in 2023 for the 49ers, Banks' PFF grade tied for the 2nd lowest; out of 105 guards who played at least 100 snaps in 2023, Banks' PFF grade ranked #75.

In the end, they will likely keep all but possibly 2-3 of the players named. Losing 2-3 of these players will not take the 49ers out of contender status.

Did you see the 49ers when Deebo Samuel was out with injury last season? Eliminating his salary could really affect that offense.

I saw it. Trent Williams was also out for the same 2 games Deebo missed. Not sure if there were other injuries also, but, regardless, I would expect Williams had a greater impact than Deebo.

Yep. Williams hurt his ankle early in the Cleveland game (he played through it at way less than 100%) which they lost, then lost the next 2 games without him. Even CMCs numbers dipped quite a bit without Trent.

When they're just missing Deebo they've been fine. In 2022, SF won all 4 games Deebo missed. Last season he happened to miss the same 2 games as Trent.

They also almost won the Super Bowl last year while getting nothing from Deebo in the playoffs.

I wouldn't claim they couldn't have done what they did without Deebo, or that they couldn't be successful in the future once he's gone. But I do think there are intangibles certain players bring to the game that don't show up on the stat sheet, and IMO Deebo is one of the best of those players. The 49ers offense might not have needed him to log many catches in that run to the SB, but I can guarantee you the defenses of the teams they played certainly didn't go through a day of practice without bringing up his name/number. SF gets many of the looks they get on defense because Deebo is on the field, whether he's utilized heavily or not.

He's a valuable chess piece but I don't think his presence is a necessary condition for the Niners being successful (assuming the health of their other skill players) and he isn't nearly as important as Trent Williams in any event.

 

[Anarchy99]

Some more details on what NE offered to / for Aiyuk. According to Albert Breer, the Pats were willing to part with a 2025 2nd, a 2026 4th, and Kendrick Bourne. Aiyuk could have chosen either a 3/$90M (with two years expected to have been guaranteed) or a 4/$130M offer with likely 2.5-3 years guaranteed. By all accounts, the Patriots offered the most total money / AAV and were thought to have offered the most guaranteed money. Aiyuk was the one that turned it down (not the Niners).

 

[thecatch]

Some more details on what NE offered to / for Aiyuk. According to Albert Breer, the Pats were willing to part with a 2025 2nd, a 2026 4th, and Kendrick Bourne. Aiyuk could have chosen either a 3/$90M (with two years expected to have been guaranteed) or a 4/$130M offer with likely 2.5-3 years guaranteed. By all accounts, the Patriots offered the most total money / AAV and were thought to have offered the most guaranteed money. Aiyuk was the one that turned it down (not the Niners).

• Had the New England Patriots done a deal with the Niners for Aiyuk, and they were trying, the package was expected to be for a 2025 second-round pick, a ’26 fourth-rounder, and a player—the Niners asked for Kendrick Bourne, who played for San Francisco from 2017–20 and is still making his way back from a torn ACL. New England put two contract proposals in front of Aiyuk. One averaged $30 million over three years, and the other exceeded $32 million per year over four years.

 

[nittanylion]

We all have our opinions, of course, and they are all due respect.

I'll say this much - I've studied Kyle's 49'ers scheme utilizing these current offensive personnel fairly in-depth, and whether Deebo is statistically productive in any given game, or not, (Fantasy Standpoint, which is important to us), from an NFL standpoint, that scheme is almost 100% dependent on having the two unicorns (CMC and Deebo) on the field at the same time, stressing a defense, with their apparently amoeba-like qualities.

Again, from an NFL standpoint, it appears to me that this offense can function at relatively full capacity minus Aiyuk or Kittle, or even both...but only when CMC and Deebo are on the field together, does Kyle have the ability to exercise full use of his playbook, and demonstrate his wizardry.

ETA, that being said, they don't have anyone or combo of ones that can replace Trent Williams, and his absence creates a big problem that neither, nor both, of the unicorns can compensate for.

 

[Bri]

Have you seen the contract listed on spotrac or elsewhere?
It looks bad to me.
It looks like there's a clear time to cut him and he won't make much money up til that point.

Very much fire the agent vibe. I feel bad for him and I wonder if follow-ups to this will dramatically alter Lynch's ability to negotiate and manipulate the cap in the future.

ETA

x.com

x.com

 

[Tau837]

Have you seen the contract listed on spotrac or elsewhere?
It looks bad to me.
It looks like there's a clear time to cut him and he won't make much money up til that point.

Very much fire the agent vibe. I feel bad for him and I wonder if follow-ups to this will dramatically alter Lynch's ability to negotiate and manipulate the cap in the future.

ETA

x.com

x.com

The contract has been covered in this thread (see posts at the top of this page).

It's basically a 4 year $104M contract, with a decision point for SF after the 2027 season, since they could save ~$15.5M against the 2028 cap by releasing or trading him that offseason. They could trade or release him, play him out in 2028 per his contract (since 5 years from now that cap hit may look reasonable for a player of Aiyuk's caliber), or negotiate a new extension at that point.

Looks like a good contract for the 49ers, but that doesn't make it bad for Aiyuk. He gets $104M from 2024-2027 and then possibly hits the market at age 29 or negotiates a new big dollar extension with SF.

 

[Anarchy99]

Have you seen the contract listed on spotrac or elsewhere?
It looks bad to me.
It looks like there's a clear time to cut him and he won't make much money up til that point.

Very much fire the agent vibe. I feel bad for him and I wonder if follow-ups to this will dramatically alter Lynch's ability to negotiate and manipulate the cap in the future.

ETA

x.com

x.com

He's guaranteed to get $45M for this year. If he's on the roster when free agency starts next year, he'll get another $31M (which would pay him through 2026). The Niners can get out of his contract after Year 3 having paid $76M by that point. After that, he essentially would become year to year. If they opted to move on, the dead cap money would be whatever leftover bonus money was not accounted for.

 

[Tau837]

Have you seen the contract listed on spotrac or elsewhere?
It looks bad to me.
It looks like there's a clear time to cut him and he won't make much money up til that point.

Very much fire the agent vibe. I feel bad for him and I wonder if follow-ups to this will dramatically alter Lynch's ability to negotiate and manipulate the cap in the future.

ETA

x.com

x.com

He's guaranteed to get $45M for this year. If he's on the roster when free agency starts next year, he'll get another $31M (which would pay him through 2026). The Niners can get out of his contract after Year 3 having paid $76M by that point. After that, he essentially would become year to year. If they opted to move on, the dead cap money would be whatever leftover bonus money was not accounted for.

As discussed upthread, it won't make sense for the 49ers to get out after year 3. His year 4 cap number and the dead cap money the 49ers would incur if they trade or release him after year 3 are virtually identical (they would actually lose about $580K against the 2027 cap). So, trade/release him with $42M+ dead cap money or have him play in 2027 for essentially the same amount? Seems extremely likely he would play for SF in 2027, and the next offseason would be the decision point.

 

[Bri]

Have you seen the contract listed on spotrac or elsewhere?
It looks bad to me.
It looks like there's a clear time to cut him and he won't make much money up til that point.

Very much fire the agent vibe. I feel bad for him and I wonder if follow-ups to this will dramatically alter Lynch's ability to negotiate and manipulate the cap in the future.

ETA

x.com

x.com

He's guaranteed to get $45M for this year. If he's on the roster when free agency starts next year, he'll get another $31M (which would pay him through 2026). The Niners can get out of his contract after Year 3 having paid $76M by that point. After that, he essentially would become year to year. If they opted to move on, the dead cap money would be whatever leftover bonus money was not accounted for.

I didn't read it that way. Sounds like I'm totally off base

 

[RaidersAreOne]

75 receptions, 1,342 yards, 7 TDs, second team all-pro...

... why are so many people down on him?

 

[farfromforgotten]

75 receptions, 1,342 yards, 7 TDs, second team all-pro...

... why are so many people down on him?

Not a big name at the position, yet. Who is he to demand more money!?!? Not sure why some people care about that. Strange. There are also those that believe that, as individuals, the talent on SF isn’t all that and it’s only through assembling together like the Megazord that they become above average/good football players.

 

[Lansdowne]

75 receptions, 1,342 yards, 7 TDs, second team all-pro...

... why are so many people down on him?

Because last season the 49ers as a team had the 6th most passing yards and 2nd most passing touchdowns despite having the fewest pass attempts. Even with all the weapons they have on offense, it is hard to sustain that level of efficiency with such little volume. Aiyuk's 2023 was a product both of his skill as an elite route runner and of a hyper-efficient offense that still was run-heavy. It comes down to do you believe Aiyuk can continue at that pace with the target volume he's getting or if he's due for a regression to something closer to 2022. I'm of the believe that he'd be truly elite for a team like Buffalo or the Chargers where he'd have the clear WR1 role and the target volume to match along with Josh Allen or Justin Herbert to throw to him. I still like him a lot as a player but feel like his counting stats are capped a bit by the presence of McCaffrey, Deebo, and Kittle. I think he'd still find ways to get open even if he didn't have those guys there to make it easier, but because they're there they take touches away as well. As a player he's fantastic, a complete package at WR. Would he be the no-doubt WR1 on more than half of NFL teams? Hard to say.

There's also the fear that he hadn't practiced with the team all offseason and I've yet to hear an example from someone of a WR who had a great year while skipping the entire offseason program for contract reasons.

 

[Faust]

Brandon Aiyuk on contract process: 'I made it a little bit more difficult than I needed'

 

[Rig24]

Brandon Aiyuk on contract process: 'I made it a little bit more difficult than I needed'

Ya think?